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Let us remember Kofi Annan
Kofi-Annan
There is a popular saying in Akan that ‘Onipa yε ade a, ᴐsε ayeyi’ which literally means any person who does a good thing de¬serves praise. Hence, Ghana¬ians in general have a culture of remembrance.
That is why Ghanaian names like Nana Yaa As¬antewaa, King Osei Tutu I, Okomfo Anokye, King Asamani, King Tackie Tawiah, Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry John Rawlings among others are but only a few of the names that stand tall amongst the numerous illustrious sons and daughters of mother Ghana.
They contributed im¬mensely to the progress of our beloved nation. These are names of our heroes and hero¬ines that will hardly be erased from our memories.
Nevertheless, Kofi An¬nan was one of such famous Ghanaians whose popularity extended to the length and breadth of the globe. It was therefore, no wonder that the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II conferred on him the high traditional title of ‘Bo¬sumuru’ Kofi Annan, when he was alive, for making not only Ghana proud, but also the whole of black skin Africa and beyond.
Now, let us learn who Kofi Annan was: Born in Kumasi, Ghana, on April 8, 1938, his parents were Henry Reginald Annan and Victoria Annan; both of blessed memory.
Brilliant as he was, young Kofi Annan was educated at Mfantsipim Secondary School, Cape Coast where he success¬fully completed his courses of study.
In 1958, he gained admis¬sion to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
In 1962, the United Na¬tions Organisation, otherwise known as U.N.O. employed him as Administration and Budget Officer.
In the course of time, he became Under Secretary General for the U.N.O peace keeping programmes.
His long service and experience in the U.N.O, coupled with his high sense of brilliance and integrity enabled him to gain absolute confidence of the U.N.O body to be the first person to be appointed from the U.N.O staff as Secretary General of the U.N.O.
He served for a two-term period in office, from 1997- 2005 and became the seventh U.N Secretary General since its inception in 1945.
Bosumuru Kofi Annan had great passion for human rights advocacy which was his greatest legacy for the world. This unfolded in two of his last addresses he gave at the meetings he addressed which I had the opportunity to cap¬ture on television documenta¬ries telecast to viewers.
The salient points of the addresses have been present¬ed below for the benefit of readers as the lifestyle of this eminent citizen of the country needs to be emulated by our present generation.
In his capacity as the sev¬enth U.N Secretary General and a former post-graduate student of Massachusetts In¬stitute of Technology (M.I.T), he spoke eloquently about the following.
Boston Class of 1997
1. He applauded those who stood behind them both physically and spiritually to enable them; then as students in 1997 to successfully pursue their courses of study.
2. Whilst a student of the Institute, he learnt manage¬ment skills that helped him to achieve his goal.
3. In his days in the Insti¬tute, there were no women amongst them but happily as he was speaking on that day, there were several women amongst the latest batch of the students present.
4. According to him, to live is to choose and one has to choose wisely. He considered any challenges that came to him as ways of finding means to improve his life.
5. He lamented about suf¬fering of humanity, especially children dying of hunger due to wars in countries like Cam¬bodia and other places.
6. He continued that, in 1996, the U.N General Assem¬bly applied a ban on weapons of scourge but in spite of that, other states were seeking means to bring back these weapons of devastation of human lives.
7. Education: Being a role model to the African youth education, he advocated for universal education of our children. He held the view that it was not necessary that all children should obtain University Education.
He said other children could be given skillful edu¬cation like trade, technical; so that after their course of study, they could establish their own works or industries.
Addressing U.N workers in a country
He said he was so happy to be with them. That the U.N members are to reach out to the people. We talk of a glob¬al village. We need to have common values. As citizens of global village, we need to reach out to the people; ie in our communities, we should come together to do things that can improve our commu¬nities.
As individuals, we are not powerless. We have power when things are getting out of hand. We should come to¬gether to make things better to improve the lives of our communities.
We need to listen to one another for our own educa¬tion; and concerns of others must be adhered to. It is always rewarding to share experience with others. Real peace building is prevention of conflict or violence. We should find out how to ensure young people are well repre¬sented in political administra¬tion of our countries.
Kofi Annan’s last interac¬tion with Ghanaians; cap¬tured on Joy TV on Saturday, 15/09/2018
“We need to build strong teams. When they are em¬powered to work and they shine, you as a leader will also shine.”
In hard moments, you look for support from your team, both physically and spiritu¬ally. Life starts from home, school, communities, locality, district, region, nationally and internationally. Therefore, in our own locality, when there is something wrong, we should all come together to share ideas to enable us solve the problem.
Quotes of Kofi Annan
• “Any attempt to change clause of veto power of the seven U.N.O Super Na¬tions of the Security Council, could generate acrimony, antagonism and animosity.”
The Seven Veto Power Super Nations of The U.N.O are Britain, America, Canada, Germany, France, Russia and China
2. “Whereever we live it is ideal to confront ignorance with knowledge.”
• “I have always be¬lieved that on international issues, the leaders must lead. We have the means of dealing with political issues if only we have the political will”
Interventions
1. He was responsible for certifying Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
• He helped to settle the dispute between Cam¬eroon and Nigeria over the Bakasi Peninsular awards: In 2001, he was awarded Noble Peace Prize jointly with the U.N.
He was also awarded the Indira Gandhi Order of the Star of Romania and several other awards.
Death and funeral
He died in Bern, Switzer¬land, on 18/08/2018, at the age of 80years. His mortal remains were flown to Ghana.
The Government held a befitting state funeral in his memory from September 10 -13, 2018, at the forecourt of the State House, Accra, Gha¬na. May his soul continue to rest in eternal perfect peace in the bosom of his maker, Amen.
Marriage:
He was survived by a wife, Nane Kofi Annan and two children; Kojo Annan and Ama Annan.
Tributes
• By former President of the U.S Mr Barak Obama
“Long after he had broken barriers, Kofi never stopped his pursuit of a better world and made time to motivate and inspire the next genera¬tion of leaders.”
• By Rev. Bro. Pious Agyeman:
Bosumuru Kofi Annan brought honour not only to Ghana but Africa in general. His vision was without peace, there cannot be progress for humanity.
Hence, he called for co-operation among countries of the world and that human rights of all persons of the world regardless of race or colour must be principally upheld.
• He gained the high re¬spect of both the members of the U.N and countries of the world despite his black Africa skin.
By a concerned citizen, J.K Tetteh- Kpodjie
THE state of feeling rejected, could be a terrifying experience especially for those who have become used to fame. If not properly addressed, it could lead to depression and the consequences, could be disastrous.
When you are on top of your game in whatever profession you find yourself such that you become famous, a lot of people try to associate with you. The phone never ceases to ring and one is tempted to feel loved and very important.
When a disaster strikes and the fame or the money which was the source of the attraction fades away, the circle of friends and fans begin to shrink and the phone will start to stop ringing until the call stops voting completely.
You will be shocked at how people you considered friends, will no longer be calling you or pay casual visits as they used to. You will begin to notice that messages you leave after calling them and not getting a response are not replied to and that is when you begin to know who your true friends are.
One of the most popular movie stars was an actress called Sharon Stone. In an interview with one of the media houses that was published, she spoke about how people who should have come around to encourage her in her moment of depression, shunned her. The calls stopped coming.
This is what the Bible admonishes that the arm of flesh will fail you and therefore we should put our trust in God. It could be a very frightening experience and can easily lead to depression.
Human nature being what it is, people will want to get close if things are okay. Everybody wants to associate themselves with interesting things, famous people, rich people etc for mainly selfish reasons.
We need to develop the habit of putting our trust in God and relying less on human beings. The lesson we have to take along in life is that, no one marries his or her enemy so how come people who took vows that they will love each other become so hostile to each other that they want to go their separate ways in life? Such is the reality of life.
It is therefore prudent for people to recognise that, life is full of uncertainties and so there is the need to prepare your mind for uncertainties so that when they occur, they do not disorganise your mental sanity.
A lot of people have experienced situations where people who they could have sworn will never betray their trust have disappointed them when they were through challenging moments.
If there is one thing famous people should desire, it should be the ability to identify who are true friends are. Countless stories abound regarding incidence of celebrities who have lost their shine and their wives divorcing them soon after.
It is sometimes useful as a famous or rich person to sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage to safeguard or protect yourself from any future unpleasant surprises.
People can be very pretentious these days, it goes both ways. There is this real life story where a man married a divorced wealthy woman and convinced her to sell her house so they could build a new one together, with the excuse that people are gossiping that he is being housed by a woman.
The woman agreed and they put up a new building. After a few years the man asked for a divorce, only for the woman to realise that the land on which the building was situated, was bought in the man’s name.
This can drive a person insane, if you are not mentally tough and this happens to you. When people hear that you are homeless, a lot of your so-called friends will stop calling, so that you do not become a burden on them.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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‘But, er …. I don’t even know your name’.
‘Paul. Paul Allotey. I’m Sarah, by the way. Paul, why don’t you leave me here, since this is the last important thing I’m doing today’.
‘Okay. Now Sarah. I was just thinking. You will be here at the cafe for about an hour. By then it will be about twelve thirty. Then, you would be thinking of buying yourself some lunch, to eat here or to take home. So if you would please allow me, I will take you to one of the nicest eating places in town, and after you have sorted that one out, then I can drop you home. Just that one errand, then I won’t bother you again’.
‘You are not bothering me at all. You are being very kind to me. And I just realised you are a mind reader too. The last item on my agenda was lunch’.
‘I’m so glad I appeared at your doorstep, just in time’.
‘Okay. Now Paul, since you say the cafe is a comfortable place, let’s go in together, and you can do your work while I get my application done’.
‘Okay, Sarah. Thanks. Let’s go’.
We got back in the car at eleven forty-five.
‘So where are we going, Paul?’
‘To Royalty restaurant. It’s a twenty minute drive away’.
‘So, do you enjoy your job?’
‘Most certainly. I won’t change it, not even to be President. And am I right to say that you are preparing to enter the university?’
‘That’s my plan. I hope it works’.
‘It will, if you are determined, and disciplined. You look very much like a disciplined person’.
‘Thank you very much’.
We arrived at Royalty in twenty-five minutes, ‘You are joining me for lunch, Paul’.
‘Thanks for the honour, Sarah. But the bill is on me’.
‘Aren’t you taking on too much for one day?’
‘I never do anything that is bigger than me, Sarah’.
Over the next hour and a half, we discussed fashion, local and international politics, and sports, as we ate and relaxed. Finally, he drove me to the shop.
‘I will never forget you, Paul’.
‘I’m glad to have been helpful. But if you don’t mind, I’ll say it again, your husband is extremely lucky. You are really beautiful’.
‘Thanks again. But do you mind if I call you sometime in the future?’
‘Certainly not. Let me write it here. I will not ask for your number, for obvious reasons. But I will be looking forward to hearing from you. And hopefully, I will see you next month, when I call to drop your bill’.
‘Okay Paul. See you then’. What a lovely day, I said to myself as I opened the front door. I closed the shop and got home by seven. I went straight to the bedroom, stood in the mirror and took a good look at myself. ‘You are a very beautiful woman, Sarah. Never forget that’. I will not forget that, again.
Over the next several weeks, Martin and I had very little to do with each other. In the morning he ate his breakfast and after a shabby ‘I’m going’, he left. He came home around eight at the earliest, ate his dinner and, already soaked in beer, went off to sleep.
He spent the greater part of the weekends at the club house with his friends, playing tennis and partying. My mind was focused on furthering my education, so I didn’t complain to him, and didn’t bother to inform my parents about what was happening. I had decided that I would only take action if he lifted his hand against me again. I spent my free time reading all manner of interesting stuff on the internet, and chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.
One evening, he came home at about eight, rushed to the bedroom and rushed out. An envelope, obviously containing money, dropped out of his pocket, and I picked it up and followed him. I was going to call him and give it to him, but I noticed that there was a young woman in the car, so I went back in, counted it and put it in a drawer in the hall. He came back after some ten minutes.
‘Excuse me, I dropped an envelope containing money. You must have seen it’.
‘Yes, I saw it. Actually, I followed you, and was about to call you and hand it over to you when I realised that there was a woman in the car, so I came back in. I counted it. One thousand cedis.
‘Well let me have it. I have to be going’.
‘I will let you have it if you will tell me who the woman in the car is, and why you are going to give her that amount of money’.
‘Listen, if you waste my time, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Give me the money now!’
‘Here’s what we will do, Martin. I know you will give money to her anyway, so I will give it to you, if you will withdraw the threat you just issued. But I want you to know that I will be taking some steps from tomorrow. Things are getting out of hand’.
‘Okay, I’m sorry I threatened you. Can you please give me the money’. I handed it over to him, and he ran out’.
The following morning, I waited for him to finish having breakfast, and told him I wanted to have a word with him urgently.
‘You better be quick. You know I’m going to work’.
‘Well, I want to inform you that I will inform my parents, and your parents, about the situation in this house. As I said yesterday, things are getting out of hand. You spend most of your time drinking. You get drunk every evening, and through the weekend. And you are also spending your time and money on a prostitute’.
‘How dare you? One more stupid word from you …’
‘Am I lying, Martin? You have just started life, yet you are behaving like a rich, elderly man who has already seen his children through university, and can afford a life of fun. As I said, I’m going to inform our parents. Maybe your parents can straighten you out before it is too late’.
‘Look, we can talk this evening. It’s nothing like what you are saying’. He walked away, shocked.
That evening, I was expecting to have a meaningful discussion with him, but his mother called early in the evening to offer me some ‘advice’. Her son had called to say that certain developments at home were disturbing him so much that they were beginning to affect his work.
And, ‘as a loving mother to her daughter’, she was advising me to submit to my husband, and support him in prayer, and not ‘drive him from home’. Men would always be men, and she was telling me ‘from experience’ that no matter how much time Martin stayed away from home, he would always come home to me.
She had been a young wife before, so she understood the challenges I was facing. So I could be assured that if I followed her advice, all would be well. And, of course, she didn’t allow me to tell my side of the story.
Martin came home very late, and very drunk. And from the next morning, he carried on as before. With some hesitation, I called my dad and told him all that had gone on.
‘Well, my daughter. I’m not going to say “I told you so”. I was only trying to protect you. So here’s what we’ll do. Continue doing the best you can, and try not to give him any excuse to harm you, but if things continue to deteriorate, I will take you back.
A couple of days later, my cousin Dinah arrived in Accra from Brussels, having completed her medical course. With Martin’s agreement, I went to Koforidua and spent a couple of days. I spent most of the time chatting about her experiences in the US, but we also discussed my relationship with Martin, and she endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if Martin’s behaviour did not change after two weeks Elaine informed Mom and Dad. We endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if there was no change in two weeks.
Dinah returned with me to Takoradi. Her plan was to spend a couple of weeks, and return to Accra to be posted. I called Paul Allotey, and asked if he would meet her for lunch and, if possible, show her some interesting spots. Delighted, he suggested that we meet at Royalty the next day.
I told Martin about it, to remove any possibility of future disagreement over ‘going out with men’.
‘It’s fine with me’, he said, ‘if, of all the people who could show your sister round this town, you chose a borla man. Doesn’t that indicate the kind of person you are?’
‘ First of all, Martin’, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he comes across as a decent guy, so I think it is rather unfortunate that you are writing him off when you don’t know him’.
By Ekow de Heer
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